Yoga is not just a set of physical exercises, it is playing with your own consciousness, when you are trying to explore your own mind. You are going inside your own heart to see what is there. How many emotions are living there? So even when a simple emotion comes to surface, the person becomes disturbed. But this heart is a vast ocean of emotions. So if we are trying to learn what is in our mind, we will have to experience every emotion as well. And they are good to have – it separates us from so many other beings.
* * *
As you already practice that heart opening technique, we have to go inside the heart – only then your mind will come under control. It is already in the heart. You see all over the world how the word “heart” is portrayed: feelings come from my heart, every emotion lives in the heart – the whole world knows it. And every girl says that the true feeling emerges from the heart, not from the mind.
* * *
Q: In your life you have two types of emotions, pleasant and unpleasant. Those which you enjoy and those which distort you to make you unhappy. As a yogi, what shall you do? Shall you face all these emotions and try to enjoy all of them?
No, I think the word “enjoy” is not the right word. I would rather experience those emotions. Both good and bad. Because you will be learning out of both. Bad emotions teach you even more than good.
* * *
Q: Should I try to control my emotions?
A: Why? God has given them to you. Try to understand them instead of controlling them.
Q: Just realize?
A: Not exactly. If you understand them, that will be realization and you simply cannot control what you don’t know or don’t understand. You got to understand your emotion.
Q: What do you mean by understanding the emotion? Understanding the source of it? What is the source for the emotion?
A: I am telling about emotions in totality. The source is just a part of your emotion. Think on that.
* * *
I think the more refined you become with your practice, your emotions also become more refined, more clear.
* * *
When your mind is calmer, you will begin to understand the true nature of your thoughts. That means the true nature of every emotion, even which you react to – another person’s thought.
Q: And then emotions will disappear?
Shailendra: Not disappear – you will go beyond them. Emotions will never disappear, but you will go higher and higher; and you will experience new higher emotions. Like when we were small children emotions were very different. Now when we can look we can understand them, but our emotions are very different. When we progress as yogis, the emotions are very different. But the person will the same – who will continue to experience those emotions. And that’s how we learn.
Q: The reason is that the causes of emotions will also change?
Shailendra: Yes, yes. And the more mature in your thoughts you grow or the more old you become, you will learn more how to control them. I think having emotions is a very good thing.
* * *
Q: Тhe books teach us that emotions are a bad thing.
A: They are the real teachers. I myself am a highly emotional person. Always I have been highly emotional, but I am happy with that.
Q: But when somebody gives rise to irritation yogis don’t shout at this person.
A: I have been known to do it.
Q: But if I were to cry should I cry or not?
A: Of course, is it more natural thing in the world.
Q: You have been known for doing that without involvement.
A: No, anytime anything is possible.
* * *
Q: Guruji, such emotions as anger, hatred… Gods and rishis are described as being not free from such emotions.
A: Nobody is asking you to be free from that. God has created these emotions. If you want to experience everything about consciousness, then you will experience it in its totality: anger in its totality, love in its totality. Otherwise how can you call yourself perfect? Before becoming perfect, you should know every type of that. Then only you will be per fact (another tool of language). Why is nobody perfect? Just think. Because nobody knows the fact, so they cannot be per fact. If you understand every fact of life, then only you can call yourself perfect. We cannot say that Jesus was a perfect being if he did not know hate or anger. I think he knew everything. Do you think if you go up to Jesus and give him a guitar he will not be able to play? I will tell you he would have played it then and there.
* * *
Q: For example you have some tension with your boss and you wish him quit out – wish his promotion so your problem will be resolved. Don’t wish him bad so you will avoid karmic affects of a bad karma.
A: But if a person is powerful enough he will resign himself – he will not need to do any job in his life. If he has power of visualization within he will not need a boss.
Q: So if a person does not have enough power to visualize it this trick with his boss simply does not work.
A: I don’t think so. Inside your heart you are feeling to give him a serious beating and you are trying to visualize his promotion. It will actually disturb your peace of mind. You want to kill that person and you are imagining his promotion.
Q: For example you just want to get rid of the trouble he creates. Let him find a better place.
A: After getting promotion he will become even more powerful and he will be in a position to create more trouble for you.
Q: Promotion in another organization.
A: Even then. It is a very honest observation that if I have one enemy I will not want his progress in life. Everybody would like to see him fallen.
Q: No, you may not wish this – there is a saying that God will punish him.
A: There is another saying – I heard it in a Hindi movie: one man was out to take revenge on some bad men and one priest was saying: «Don’t you think it is God’s work to punish them?» And he answered: «Yes, God will punish them but I will send them to God.» So I agree with him.
* * *
Q: And why Jesus said: “If someone slaps your cheek, just give him your second one to slap again?”
A: Okay, one time you can give him your second, but then again he slaps on that cheek then you are free to break the bones of that person. He never said anything after that. Or may be it was more of an individual question. May be that man was of very violent nature and Jesus was trying to teach him some humility. Could be that. Most of the answers Jesus gave were given to the individuals. They should not be taken as a general message. You can learn something out of them but you don’t have to generalize them.
* * *
An open heart means an open mind. If a person has a very open mind, he will respect others also. Because every single person is part of the nature, as we are part of the nature. Open mind means go natural. I mean, if somebody is abusing you, anger is a normal reaction. I say: be natural. Because we have been taught so much unnatural way – we are in society. And we begin to take that unnatural way as very natural. So we have forgotten what is being natural.
My father used to say as I got very angry sometimes: “Nurse your anger. Then it will become extraordinary power inside you after sometime”. And I found out it is true. Don’t say: don’t be angry, because anger is a natural reaction. If you are facing an adverse situation, of course first thing will be anger. But instead of letting it go, you learn to nurse it inside. Like a hen sitting on egg go on nursing it and then it will become a great power, which will make you very powerful.
* * *
If somebody is just cutting your throat, is stealing everything from you, it is very natural to hate that person.
Q: So what is bad? Bad is when it’s uncontrolled.
А: I think the bad thing is which stops in progress when you are in the focus of that.